TitleNews Online Archive

TitleNews Online Archive

Classified Information

March 6, 2002

Real Estate Advertising Props Up Newspapers? Revenues

Inman News Features

Newspaper advertising expenditures for the fourth quarter totaled $12.3 billion, a decrease of nearly 12 percent from the prior-year same period, according to preliminary estimates from the Newspaper Association of America.

But real estate advertising continued to show strength, gaining 6.3 percent to $1.1 billion. Automotive advertising was up 2.4 percent to $1.6 billion, recruitment advertising sank 46.5 percent to $1.3 billion and all other classified advertising was down 5.4 percent to $728 million.

"The September terrorist attacks and the ensuing soft economy certainly had a chilling effect on ad spending across all media," NAA CEO John F. Sturm. "However, the newspaper industry is in good shape to move forward when the economy turns the corner, and we're expecting a gradual climb back into positive territory this year."